SynthesisPloS one2018
Metformin induces significant reduction of body weight, total cholesterol and LDL levels in the elderly - A meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 41 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
41 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The Optimal Dosage and Duration of Metformin for Prevention and Treatment of Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of metformin on blood lipid profiles in nondiabetic adults: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Endocrine · 2020Pooled it
- Effect of metformin on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with coronary artery diseases: a systematic review and an updated meta-analysis.Cardiovascular diabetology · 2019Pooled it
- Evaluation of metformin for epilepsy prevention or seizure control in people without evidence of diabetes: retrospective cohort study.Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry · 2026Article
- Safety of anagliptin/metformin combination tablets evaluated by non-inferiority between pre- and post-serum lactic acid levels in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes and moderate renal impairment (AMELIO STUDY).Journal of diabetes investigation · 2026Article
- Evaluation of the Efficacy of Metformin in the Treatment of Acne Vulgaris and Its Effects on Serum Lipid Metabolism.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2025Article
- Geroprotective effects of GdVOBiogerontology · 2024Article
- Tribal differences in hypertension and cholesterol profiles in Aceh, Indonesia.Global cardiology science & practice · 2024Article
- A novel action of insulin sensitizing drug as a potential promotor of preovulatory follicles, ovulation rate and prolificacy in sheep.Veterinary research communications · 2024Article
- Metformin, Cognitive Function, and Changes in the Gut Microbiome.Endocrine reviews · 2024Review
- Once-weekly Insulin Icodec Versus Once-daily Long-acting Insulin for Type II Diabetes: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of the Endocrine Society · 2024Review
- Effects of long-term metformin administration associated with high-intensity interval training on physical performance, glycogen concentration, GLUT-4 content, and NMR-based metabolomics in healthy rats.Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas medicas e biologica · 2024Article
- Metformin: The Winding Path from Understanding Its Molecular Mechanisms to Proving Therapeutic Benefits in Neurodegenerative Disorders.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Higher mitochondrial DNA copy number is associated with metformin-induced weight loss.Communications medicine · 2023Article
- Weight-centric treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.Obesity pillars · 2022Review
- Metformin promotes smear conversion in tuberculosis-diabetes comorbidity and construction of prediction models.Journal of clinical laboratory analysis · 2022Article
- Hormonal and metabolic profiles of obese and nonobese type 2 diabetes patients: implications of plasma insulin, ghrelin, and vitamin D levels.Cardiovascular endocrinology & metabolism · 2022Article
- Exercise and Metformin Intervention Prevents Lipotoxicity-Induced Hepatocyte Apoptosis by Alleviating Oxidative and ER Stress and Activating the AMPK/Nrf2/HO-1 Signaling Pathway in db/db Mice.Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2022Article
- The Effect of Metformin on Male Reproductive Function and Prostate: An Updated Review.The world journal of men's health · 2022Review
- Caloric restriction induced epigenetic effects on aging.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMetformin is the first-choice drug for patients with Type 2 diabetes, and this therapy is characterized by being weight neutral. However, in the elderly an additional unintentional weight loss could be considered as an adverse effect of the treatment.
objectivesWe aimed to perform a meta-analysis of placebo-controlled studies investigating the body weight changes upon metformin treatment in participants older than 60 years. MATERIALS AND
methodsPubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library were searched. We included at least 12 week-long studies with placebo control where the mean age of the metformin-treated patients was 60 years or older and the body weight changes of the patients were reported. We registered our protocol on PROSPERO (CRD42017055287).
resultsFrom the 971 articles identified by the search, 6 randomized placebo-controlled studies (RCTs) were included in the meta-analysis (n = 1541 participants). A raw difference of -2.23 kg (95% CI: -2.84 --1.62 kg) body weight change was detected in the metformin-treated groups as compared with that of the placebo groups (p<0.001). Both total cholesterol (-0.184 mmol/L, p<0.001) and LDL cholesterol levels (-0.182 mmol/L, p<0.001) decreased upon metformin-treatment.
conclusionsOur meta-analysis of RCTs showed a small reduction of body weight together with slight improvement of the blood lipid profile in patients over 60 years. With regard to the risk of unintentional weight loss, metformin seems to be a safe agent in the population of over 60 years. Our results also suggest that metformin treatment may reduce the risk of major coronary events (-4-5%) and all-cause mortality (-2%) in elderly diabetic populations.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.